Make Ken Caryl Ranch North Plains Filing No. 1 a Cohesive Development with All Surrounding Communities

This petition is regarding the development of the Ken Caryl Ranch North Plains bowl area and land north of Mountain Gate III (MGIII) condominium complex. Specifically, this is referring to the proposed development known as: ·       Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Case Name “Ken Caryl Ranch North Plains Filing No 1” ·       Case Number 21-121001PF As residents of the affected area, we have concerns about the negative impact this new development will have on our area. We believe the density of the development as proposed is unsustainable. The proposed density of this new development will have a negative impact on traffic, safety, noise, and quality of life.

Issue 1: Traffic Study Submitted Underestimates Number of Vehicles Due to Obsolete Information Used as a Determining Factor

Documentation included in zoning documents is a traffic impact study submitted by Fox Tuttle Transportation Group to the North American Realty Acquisition Corporation (NAARC) study. Section 5.1 of this study states "A 5% vehicular trip reduction was applied to the Parcel C multi-family trip estimates to account for adjacent mixed-use and proximity to the Regional Transportation District (RTD) park-n-Ride facility, which provides regional bus service via the 77, 100L and 116X routes." This assumption is obsolete. RTD routes 77 and 100L have been discontinued. Existing route 116X is an express bus to downtown Denver and does not alleviate travel to local destinations.

Issue 2: Utilizing  South Alkire street as a collector street increases risks for residents’ safety

The filing for this proposed development included a traffic study submitted by the NARAC. Page 21 Section 6.3 of the NARAC study states that two-thirds of the Parcel A traffic will utilize South Alkire Street. This will increase the traffic on South Alkire Street to 5,000 vehicles per day. The study considers this acceptable based on the general Jefferson County criteria that a collector street can carry 1,000 to 8,000 vehicles per day. However, this general estimate of the capacity of a collector street does not consider the unique characteristics of South Alkire Street. South Alkire Street currently allows street parking on both sides. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation Roadway Design Guide “It can generally be stated that on-street parking decreases through-capacity, impedes traffic flow, and increases accident potential.” If parking were prohibited on South Alkire Street, the negative impacts parking has on capacity, flow, and safety could be mitigated. Additional Problems Created if Parking is Prohibited on South Alkire Street Restricting parking on South Alkire Street would cause another problem as the displaced parked cars would still need to be parked elsewhere and there currently is not enough parking in the adjacent community parking lots to accommodate these cars. There are 50 to 60 vehicles parked on South Alkire Street daily. Unique Characteristics of South Alkire Street Make the Proposed Development Detrimental to our Community Negatively Impacting Safety and Noise Further impacting the capacity, flow, and safety of South Alkire Street is the fact that it has a significant curve that reduces visibility for both vehicles and pedestrians. These unique characteristics of South Alkire Street need to be considered when determining the safe and effective capacity of South Alkire Street and the negative impacts of the prosed 550 new dwelling units in Parcel A and C.

Issue 3: Proposed Extension of Indore Place Was Not Included in Traffic Study by Fox Tuttle Transportation Group to the Developer, NARAC

Presumably this is because the extension had not been proposed at the time the traffic study was made. At the least the traffic study should be revised to include the impacts of this proposed new street. Traffic on Indore Street Extension Is Underestimated and Presents Negative Impact on Noise, Safety, and Quality of Enjoyment to MGIII Residents Current Proposed Indore Street extension as an ancillary Street per the Parcel C Site Plan and was added to provide emergency vehicles better access to homes in Parcel A. However, the traffic is underestimated considering all other traffic use and flow. To alleviate the issues stated above (Issue 2), traffic will organically use Indore Street to avoid the congestion and hazards created on South Alkire Street. This will bring another set of concerns for MGIII community on the NW boundary with regards to noise, safety, and quality of enjoyment for residents backing to the new Indore Street extension. There should be adequate space provided between the Indore extension and MGIII buildings allowing for construction of a buffer/fence to mitigate these issues.

Issue 4: 350 Unit Development in Parcel C Does Not Allow for Overflow Parking

The traffic study focuses on traffic flow impacts of the proposed development. However, the impacts on parking are not considered. Currently South Alkire Street allows both sides street parking to accommodate the overflow of vehicles that cannot park in the adjacent communities. There is reason to believe that the new 350-unit multifamily development proposed for Parcel C will have a similar overflow parking problem because parking requirements are often underestimated by developers, including prohibitions on parking commercial vehicles on the property.

Issue 5: Height Variance Request Infringes on Original Intent of Building Height Restrictions Enacted

Developers have asked for a height variance for this new development. The residents of MGIII moved to their homes, in part, because of the mountain views. Building height restrictions are enacted to protect mountain views and property values. The height restriction variance request for this proposed development should be rejected.  

Affirmation

By signing this petition, I am affirming that I share the same concerns with the issues above and respectfully request Jefferson County Planning and Zoning to consider other resolutions to mitigate each issue to create a development that is a cohesive, safe and quality environment for all surrounding communities.

Mountain Gate III Board of Directors    Contact the author of the petition